Vignettes a la Carte
by karly05
Summary: Or, a fancy way of saying Random Drabbles.  Little stories based off Random Word prompts, mostly Ferb, Vanessa, or Ferbnessa, some romantic, some not.  Rating will not exceed K Plus.
1. 1:  Student

**B/N – Well, I've gotten inspired to try my hand at some Random Word-Prompt Drabbles, so here goes! MANY thanks to GypsyGirl098 for directing me to a great Random Word Generator. I took the first 12 words it gave me, and will be writing a short vignette for each one. I'm sure most of these will involve Ferb, or Vanessa, or Ferb AND Vanessa, but any P&F characters could turn up. (Sorry, no requests.) There will be romance, but other things, too, and you can bet there's gonna be a lot of Fluff. **

**Nothing in this sequence of vignettes will exceed a rating of K+.**

**You already know who and what belongs to Dan Povenmire & Jeff "Swampy" Marsh.**

Student

Vanessa stood next to the purple and white mini-bus parked outside the Freshman Dorms, watching her Dad rummage in the back seat.

"Just a minute, Sweetie, I thought I heard something fall out back here earlier," he was rambling. "It might be something important, and I wouldn't want to drive all the way back to the Tri-State Area and then find out that you were missing something important…"

"Dad," she sighed, "we've been through the van three times."

"Maybe it rolled under the seat."

"There's nothing under the seat," she groaned. "Look, you came up here to help me get settled, I'm settled. I have everything I need." When he ignored this, Vanessa tugged at the sleeve of his lab coat. "Dad – go home."

He let out a resigned breath and gave up the imaginary search, turning to face her. His eyes were moist as he said, "All right, Baby Girl. Just remember, if you need anything, I'm only three hours away. Less, if I use the Accelerate-inator!"

With a twist of her lips and a roll of her eyes, Vanessa regarded her father, her annoying, embarrassing, never-stopped-blathering, oblivious, over-protective father – Then suddenly she threw herself on him, pulling him into a tight hug. He hugged her back and said, in a voice cracking with emotion, "Vanessa, I am so proud of you."

The new college student felt her own anxieties subside as she spent one last moment in the shelter of her Daddy's arms.

**A/N: When my first word was "Student," I knew this would be something about Vanessa at College. We know Doof loves his Baby Girl, and I think that, as she matures, she realizes that deep down she loves him, too.**


	2. 2: Underestimate

Underestimate

The timer went off, and Ferb slid the pan out of the oven. They certainly smelled good, he noted. When the knife he used to test them came out clean, he nodded with satisfaction. Nothing compared to baking from scratch. Setting aside the brownies to cool, he stirred the small saucepan of fudge icing keeping warm on the stove. Pleased with the fruits of his labor, Ferb turned to survey the disaster zone that had been Vanessa's tiny kitchen.

He had barely made a dent in the scattered flour, broken egg shells, drips of melted chocolate, and piles of bowls, pots and utensils he had used, when he heard the front door open. Sharp heels clicked on the wooden floor, and her backpack made a loud _thunk_ as she flung it down. "FERB!" she yelled, slamming the door behind her. There was a rustle that sounded like her stripping off her jacket, and a soft plop that said she had thrown it on the armchair. "I know you're here!" she warned. To his surprise, the rat-tat of her heels retreated toward the bedroom – he would have thought the aroma of warm chocolate would have pulled her straight to him. He emerged into the living room, and met her coming back the other way. Hands on hips, Vanessa glowered at him. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Teacher In-Service Day."

"Ferb," she groaned, "you know I have mid-terms this week! I've had about six hours of sleep since Monday, and I can hardly see straight, and you just let yourself in here…"

_Well, you did give me a key,_ he thought, but wisely kept silent.

At last her nose twitched, and she said, "What is that smell?" She followed him toward the source, and he stood proudly by the range. Her jaw hit the floor as she gawked around the room. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY KITCHEN?"

"Don't worry, I'm cleaning up."

Putting a hand to her head, she leaned against the door frame and muttered, "If I didn't have a headache already…"

Swiftly, Ferb plucked a saucer from the cabinet and sliced a square out of the brownie pan, then drizzled it with fudge icing from the stove. A light dusting of white confectioner's sugar, and his culinary work of art was complete. Without a word, he held it in front of her. She took a deep, involuntary breath, and an odd gleam kindled in her eyes. Accepting the saucer from him, she slowly picked up the brownie and took a bite.

"_Ohhh, Ferb…_" Vanessa mumbled in ecstasy, stuffing another corner of the treat into her mouth. "Oh, my gosh, it's still _warm_… Mmmmmm… This is _so good_," she moaned, letting go of it long enough to lick the sugar and fudge from her fingers. Lips parted, eyes glazed, she leaned in to plant a sticky brown kiss on his cheek and breathed, "You are _amazing!_"

Ferb smiled modestly. Never underestimate the power of chocolate.

**A/N – "Underestimate" made me think, "Never underestimate the power of (something)," with Ferb using whatever that something was to cheer up Vanessa. And yeah, he obviously knows how to cheer her up! **


	3. 3: Gravity

Gravity

Vanessa stood in front of the mirror and frowned at her reflection. Gravity had done a number on her, all right. Everything seemed to be sagging, from her cheeks on down. She put her hands on her hips and turned to the side. When had she become that old lady gazing back at her, with the thick waist and the gray hair? When she was young, dressing up for a special night on the town meant strappy high heels and a form-fitting dress that showed off her hourglass curves. Now, it meant modest flats and flowing chiffon.

She was still eyeing herself critically when she felt him walk up behind her, his face appearing in the mirror, over her shoulder. The tall, square-nosed gentleman, his silver hair laced with fading traces of green, regarded her reflection with a wide-eyed look. Vanessa had seen that exact expression a million times before, going all the way back to the young boy who had gawked at her in the blueprint shop.

His stunned gaze of admiration melted into a smile as he slid his arms around her waist and held her close, and Vanessa found herself smiling back at him. He bent down to lay a tender kiss on her cheek, and declared, in a voice grown a bit reedy, but still deep and impeccably British, "May I say, Mrs. Fletcher, that after fifty years of marriage, you are as lovely as ever."

**A/N – "Gravity" would probably inspire most P&F writers to think of an invention, but it gave me an image of Vanessa lamenting her aging figure. I've been wanting to do something with Elderly F&V. In Part 3 of Good Old Fashioned Fun, Ferb wonders if he will always feel that same rush each time he sees Vanessa. Yes. Yes, he will.**


	4. 4: Adoption

Adoption

Phineas stretched up on his toes and put his nose over the edge of the dining table. "What are you writing, Mom?"

"I'm filling out Ferb's adoption papers, Sweetie." She smiled down at him. "Remember what we talked about the other day?"

The little red-haired boy nodded, and grinned excitedly. "Ferb's gonna be my brother!" With some effort, Phineas dragged a chair closer to his mother's and climbed up on it so he could see over her arm. As she printed the letters carefully on the form, he read them out. "F. E. R. B. O. U. C. H. E." His brow furrowed as he asked, "What does that mean, Mom?"

"That's Ferb's name."

"No, it's not," Phineas shook his head. "Ferb is just four letters, and that's more than four letters. That says…" he thought it over briefly, then his eyes went wide and he looked at his Mom with concern. "Did Ferb get hurt?"

"Hurt?" she asked.

Phineas pointed at the word. "That says 'Ferb – owchie.'"

Mom laughed – a sweet laugh that always made Phineas feel happy. "No, honey, it says 'Ferbouche.'"

Phineas would have squinted his ears if he could. The way Mom said that word sounded funny, like she had something mushy in her mouth. He repeated it back to her as nearly as he could. "Fur-Booch?"

"That's what 'Ferb' is short for," she explained.

"So," Phineas considered, "he has a short name _and_ a long name? That's cool. I've never known anybody named Fur-Booch. Or Ferb." Hopping down from the chair, Phineas Flynn proclaimed to the world, "I'm gonna have the coolest brother ever!"

**A/N – In "For Real" and "Milkshakes for Two," I referenced Linda adopting Ferb, and in MfT, Ferb says that Phineas knows his full name only because he read it on the adoption papers. When I actually got Adoption as one of my random words, I knew immediately what I was going to write.**


	5. 5: Wear

**A/N – Well, they can't all be Ferb & Vanessa… **

Wear

"Hurry up, Amanda," Candace called up the stairs. "You're going to be late for school!" In the kitchen, she was packing the boys' lunches.

"I don't have anything to wear!" her daughter wailed in response.

"You have a whole closet full of clothes, young lady," Candace reminded her, bagging up veggies from the fridge.

"I can't wear _those_. It's my first day of middle school, I have to look _cool_ or everyone will hate me!"

"Mom," Xavier was whining, "I don't want carrot sticks. Can't I have MondoPizza chips instead?"

"Sorry, no MondoPizza chips today," she informed him calmly, then raised her voice. "Amanda, pick out something to wear, or I'm going to come up there and choose something for you." She could hear the girl's footsteps thumping all over the second floor, drawers and doors banging hither and yon.

"What about some ChillinChili chips?" Xavier was still negotiating. "Or some CheesyTater Tasties?"

"Xavier, you're having carrot sticks," said Candace, in her 'conversation over' voice, but she bent down to kiss the six-year-old's blond head as she handed him his lunchbox. Before she was even upright again, she added, "Fred, out of the cookies. Now."

The brown-haired boy was all the way across the room when she said this, and he groaned, "Awww! How did you even know?"

"Eyes in the back of my head," she gave her son a smug smile, reaching up to touch the white plastic clip in her hair.

"Oh, man," Fred grumbled, "I wish Uncle Phineas had never invented that thing!"

"Amanda! I'm not asking you again!"

"Coming, Mom!" her now-cheerful voice descended the stairs with her. "All ready to go!"

Candace glanced at her, and stopped cold. Face flushed, she gasped out, "Where did you find that?"

"In your dresser. Can I borrow it?"

Candace pointed a shaking finger. "You go upstairs and take that off right now. You had no business digging around in my drawers."

"But, it's so _cute!_" Amanda held out the hem of the pink and yellow shirt and did a little spin. "If I show up in this, everyone will want to hang out with me! I'll be the most popular girl in school!"

"Amanda, honey," calming down a bit, Candace sighed, and went to lay a motherly hand on her daughter's shoulder. "I know you want people to like you, but trust me, if you go to school in that shirt… Well, honey, everyone's just going to laugh at you. And not in a good way, believe me," she shuddered.

"Mom," Amanda shook her head with a look of sympathy for her hopelessly out of touch mother. "You really need to get with the times. All the high schoolers are wearing this stuff."

Candace watched the girl strike a confident pose in the cheerful shirt, and murmured, "No way."

"Durr," said Amanda, with a grin. "Everyone knows there's nothing cooler than Ducky Momo!"

**B/N – "Wear" was always going to be a "girl can't find outfit for first day of middle school" story, but it took me a while to think of Candace and Amanda.**


	6. 6: Coke

Coke

Ferb Fletcher was somewhere he'd never been before, doing something he had never once thought of doing in all of his seventeen years. He was sitting in the midst of a sea of raving lunatics decked out in black and gold, watching a pack of hyperactive cheerleaders jumping and screaming, while a huge, wild-eyed Groundhog ran up and down the hardwood floor and the pep band rocked the rafters of the arena. Dressed in his own, brand new, black and gold Ackerton State University T-shirt, a gift from his college-girl sweetheart, he joined the crowd in their rhythmic clapping. This was actually going to be fun.

Vanessa came edging down their row toward the empty seat beside him, a jumbo soft drink in each hand, and some strange, unrecognizeable object on her head. "You're in luck," she declared, reaching him and handing over a drink. "They had Cherry Coke." She set her own cup in the holder on the armrest farther from him, then added, "And I brought you a souvenir."

Only now did he realize that the thing on her head was a brown, furry cap designed to represent the buck teeth, bulbous nose, and goggle eyes of the school mascot, Grubby the Groundhog. Vanessa settled the cap over his green hair, and turned to squeeze into her seat. She took a long sip at her straw, then glanced in his direction to say something. Instead, she spluttered and nearly choked on her drink.

"Oh, Ferb," she gasped, grimacing with the effort to contain her hysterics. "Take it off!" She closed her eyes and covered her face with one hand as the giggles set in. "I can't look at you like that!"

Vanessa was so cute, he thought, watching her turn pink, but he knew how she hated to laugh in public, and Ferb obligingly – and somewhat thankfully, he admitted – removed the Grubby cap. He kept it folded in his hands as she calmed down.

"I'm sorry," Vanessa was still gasping and grinning, "but… you look ridiculous in that thing."

Smiling at her, Ferb reached up and carefully placed the Groundhog at a jaunty angle on her head. "Why don't you wear it?" he suggested, admiring the adorable effect. "It becomes you."

**A/N – "Coke" was always going to be a Cherry Coke and Ferb & Vanessa out on some cute date. I liked the idea of her taking him to an ASU basketball game.**

**Side Note: I hope everyone has seen the promo for this weekend's new P&F episodes, where Ferb says, "I hold the sword Excaliper!" Oh my stinking goodness, that right there is the voice Vanessa fell in love with.**


	7. 7: Amount

Amount

Ferb sat in the big armchair, reading the newspaper, while Felicia sprawled on the floor with her sketchpad and a pile of colored pencils. The sound of a car door slamming outside prompted them both to look up, and Felicia scrambled to her feet.

"Mum's home!"

Ferb laid aside the paper and went to open the front door. Before he was halfway there, he could hear the piercing wails of an inconsolable toddler. Felicia gave him an inquisitive look as he undid the latch and turned the handle.

Vanessa was walking up to the house, toting Victor in her arms. The boy was red-faced and dripping with tears, his brown hair bedraggled, as his mother cuddled him and said, with a deliberately cheerful tone, "Look, Sweetie, we're home! Here's Daddy, and Felicia…"

"What happened to Victor?" asked Felicia, looking up at her miserable brother and giving his leg a comforting pat.

"Oh, we had a little adventure at the doctor's office," said Vanessa, lips still drawn into a smile, although Ferb could see the look of helpless exhaustion when their eyes met.

Victor choked out, between sobs, "I – got – SHOT!"

_Poor little chap!_ Ferb reached out for his son, and Vanessa thankfully handed him over. Victor snuffled against his father's collar as Ferb's protective arms enveloped him, one hand gently rubbing his tiny back.

Vanessa explained, in an insistently soothing tone, "He had an excellent check-up. The nurse gave him one little pinch and a poke, and he got a special dinosaur band-aid and a cherry sucker. And he doesn't need to go see the doctor again for another whole year."

"That's it?" said Felicia, eyes wide in disbelief. She took hold of her brother's foot and jiggled it affectionately. "Don't cry, Victor. They have to give you shots so you don't get sick. They're not so bad, really."

"Felicia," said Ferb, in a gently admonishing tone. "You're not helping."

"But, it's just a shot," she insisted.

Ferb went on patting and soothing his little boy, who still whimpered softly against his shoulder. He knew only too well that no amount of logic and reason would persuade Victor that being jabbed with a needle was anything less than horrific.

Felicia was stroking Victor's hand, and Ferb gave her a slight smile. "I'm very glad you're such a brave girl, my dear. But for some of us," he sighed, "it will never be 'just a shot.'"

**A/N – "Amount" was a tough word to come up with an idea for. I kept going back to, "No amount of (something) would (achieve something)." Then, suddenly, this afternoon, this whole scene just popped into my head. A big tip of my hat and thanks to BroadwayFanGirl91 for inspiring me with her Needle-Phobic Ferb.**


	8. 8: Hazard

Hazard

Ferb parked his car and walked up to the door of Vanessa's tiny bungalow, the long, flat box he had brought from home tucked under his arm. His sweetheart answered when he rang the bell, and he savored the momentary rush of seeing her fair face for the first time that day.

"You're early," she kissed him, appearing not at all displeased by this. Spying the box, she asked, "What's that?"

Ferb set it on the coffee table. "Phineas is of the opinion that I'm not driving all this way to see you just so we can play Skiddley Whiffers," he informed her, with a sly arch of his brow. "I thought we might prove him wrong."

She regarded him with a disbelieving half-smile. "You cannot be serious."

"It won't take long," he assured her. "You do know how to play?"

"No. No, I don't."

Kneeling beside the coffee table, Ferb unpacked the box, setting up the board on the living room floor. "It's a child's game; just roll the dice and move your marker. First one to finish says 'Skiddley Whiffers' and rings the Victory Bell."

"Does the winner get a prize?" she asked with a teasing look as she sat down cross-legged opposite him.

"I'm certain we can think of something." He saw her smile at the glint in his eye. Ferb picked the Nose for his marker, as he always did, and Vanessa looked at the remaining pieces. "May I recommend the Sneaker?" he proposed. "It's the one Candace prefers, and she holds the record for wins."

"Okay, lucky Sneaker it is," Vanessa plucked it out of the box. "Let's get started."

Over an hour later, they were still hunched over the board, mired in what had to be the longest game of Skiddley Whiffers on record. It seemed that they had each been caught in every hazard, not just once, but over and over. Ferb had been put through the Car Wash three times now, and it had taken Vanessa at least eight or nine turns to roll the Snake Eyes needed to escape the Sinister Swamp. Now he was sporting Leg Irons, and she had just caught the Krazy Kaboose back five spaces.

"Nooo," she wailed, "not the Bee Hive again! I'm allergic to bees! Ugh," she dropped her sneaker into the yellow plastic hive. "Remind me what I have to roll to get out of this."

This was taking much longer than he had intended, and Ferb offered, "We can stop at any time if you…"

"Give me the dice!" Vanessa demanded, and he had to suppress a chuckle at that darling, stubborn frown of hers. "I'm no quitter."

Ten minutes later, Vanessa was now trapped in the Terrible Tower, but Ferb was actually nearing the finish. Then, on her next turn, she rolled the two-plus-four combination she needed to advance, landed on "Roll Again," and…

"Apparently, the Sneaker _is_ lucky," Ferb remarked.

"What?" said Vanessa, looking from him to the two crowns facing up on the dice.

"Double Kings," he explained. "You win."

"Really?" she eyed him, unbelieving. "Just like that?"

"Just like that," he nodded.

"Well, it's about time!" Shoving the board aside, Vanessa pounced on him. Arms around his neck, she nipped at his ear and purred, "_Skiddley Whiffers._" The next thing he knew, her lips were eagerly searching out his and pulling him into a dizzying kiss.

_Mm,_ thought Ferb, holding her close, _that's one way to ring the Victory Bell._

**A/N – Took me a while to find a use for "Hazard," but in the end, I just couldn't resist this idea. And yes, I took the liberty of adding a few things to the game.**


	9. 9: Sand

Sand

Vanessa walked down the steps from the kitchen door, an icy cold aluminum can in her hand. Her husband was in the driveway outside the garage, hard at work, and she paused for a moment just to admire him. She could see the clear traces of the green-haired boy who had befriended her to begin with, and the lanky teenager who had won her heart, but Ferb Fletcher was now a man of twenty-eight, and she felt herself drawn to him more than ever. He was tall and still slim, his lean muscles deceptive, for she knew from long, personal experience that Ferb always had been stronger than he looked. It was a strength tempered by gentleness, the mere thought of which sent a little quiver through her and brought a smile to her lips.

With his safety goggles on and Love Handel rocking from the speakers, he obviously had not seen or heard her come outside, but now he instinctively raised his head and looked around for her. Ferb had told her long ago that he seemed to have some sixth sense regarding her presence, going all the way back to the summer they had first met. Spotting her, he stripped off the goggles and swiftly strode to meet her. Without a word, he placed his arm securely around her waist, and took her free hand in his, as he walked her to the nearest patio chair and helped her sit down.

"Ferb," she laughed a bit as his tender attentions, "I'm only six months along. You don't have to fuss."

His brow furrowed in that adorable little frown, but then his lips curled upward a bit as he said, "Can't be too careful."

And there it was, the voice that always made her heart flutter, deep and mellow and so deliciously British. "I brought you a cold drink," she offered the can of cherry cola.

Accepting it, he bent down to kiss her cheek and said, "Thank you, Mrs. Fletcher."

"How's it coming?" she surveyed the products of his labors.

He ran a hand thoughtfully through his touseled hair as he took a drink from the soda can. "I still have to sand the dresser. But the crib's coming right along. I'm finishing up the structural modifications, then the rest of the enhancements can be added once it's in the nursery. The bio-sensors need to be calibrated with the thermal control system," he conceded. "But we now have twenty-one possible combinations of soothing sounds and motion." He smiled with modest satisfaction at this achievement.

Vanessa returned the smile. Leave it to Ferb to find a charming old Victorian crib and transform it into a Model of Safety and Comfort for the Twenty-First Century Infant.

"Oh," he added, "and Phineas is sending us a couple of his Insta-Dry Mattress Pads. Isabella swears by them."

"Wow," Vanessa grinned. "Our baby is going to have one seriously tricked-out crib."

"Yes," said the proud father-to-be. "Yes, she is."

**A/N – "Sand" would obviously suggest a beach, but considering Ferb's talent with tools, I went in a different direction. **

**Side note: "Tri-Stone Area" was HILARIOUS! I was laughing so hard at all the usual catch-phrases/gags done Stone Age style.**


	10. 10: Caller

Caller

_Bzzt!_

Heinz Doofenshmirtz glared at the door and refused to budge. He knew exactly who was standing outside, and had no intention of letting him in. A minute passed without another sound, and Heinz began to relax, with a smug smile. _Yeah, that's right,_ he thought. _You're not wanted here, so just…_

_Bzzt!_

"Dad!" Vanessa's voice came from her room down the hall. "Would you get that please? I'm not ready."

"Um, get what, Sweetie?" he cooed in as innocent a tone as he could muster.

"I heard the door buzz," she called back.

"R-really? Um, no, I don't think…"

_Bzzt!_

"There!" said Vanessa. "Someone's at the door."

"Well… I can't answer it." he argued. "I'm – " Running to the wreckage of his latest evil scheme, he began clanking metal together. "I'm building a new Inator!"

"DAD, JUST GET THE DOOR!" Her voice echoed through the apartment.

"Fine," he muttered under his breath, trudging across the room. "Children! You try to raise them to respect their parents, and then one day you wake up and they're twenty-one and they think they can order you around like…"

_Bzzt!_

Doofenshmirtz jerked the door open and regarded the caller with his most intimidating glare.

The green-haired kid stood there with a blank expression and said, in that snooty-tooty accent, "Good afternoon, Doctor Doofenshmirtz."

"What do you want, _Fletcher_?" He refused to call him by that weird name. What sort of parents named their son _Ferb_? And Heinz had thought _his_ parents were cruel.

"Is Vanessa at home?"

This hoodlum was doubtless _on_ something, he thought, eyes narrowing with suspicion. No one could be _that_ calm. "Um... No!" A flicker of insipiration lit his eyes. "No, sorry, no Vanessa, too bad, just scoot along now."

"Dad, is that Ferb?" Vanessa's voice made a liar of him, and he glowered. "Tell him I'll be out in a minute."

_Busted!_ he sighed, and grudgingly conveyed the message. "She'll be out in—" Heinz looked around in confusion. While he had been distracted by his daughter, Fletcher had just waltzed right in and was gawking around at his lair.

"You have a lovely home, sir."

"Oh, yeah, just lovely," Doofenshmirtz snorted. Rolling his eyes, he cracked, "Why don't you just make yourself comfortable and I'll get us some tea and cookies."

"That's very kind," the young man said in a bland tone as he took a seat on the sofa, "but really not necessary."

For crying out loud! Didn't the kid know sarcasm when he heard it? What sort of idiot had his Baby Girl gotten herself mixed up with? Where was the De-love-inator when he needed it?

"Hey, Ferb." Vanessa came into the living room and walked to meet him as he got to his feet. "Ready to go?"

Heinz didn't like the way this punk was ogling his daughter, and was horrified to see him grab Vanessa by the hands and plant his lips right on her cheek! "Hey! Hey!" he intervened, "None of that, you hooligan! You treat my Baby Girl with respect!"

"Da-ad," Vanessa shook her head at him with an exasperated half-smile. "He always does. Come on, Ferb." Still holding hands, they headed for the door.

"You have her back here by nine o'clock!" the protective father warned. "And no joyriding! I've seen that hot rod of yours!"

"We'll be back after the movie," his daughter informed him, as if he hadn't said a word. "Don't wait up."

"Good evening, sir," said Fletcher. "It was a pleasure to see you again."

And with that, the door closed behind them. With a snort of disapproval, Heinz Doofenshmirtz went to the kitchen to fix himself some dinner. Only three days ago, his little girl had informed him that she was in love with this weirdo, and that they were going to be dating. He had even been tricked into going to his ex-wife's house, so they could ambush him there with the news, and Charlene could nag him about 'over-reacting' and 'being unreasonable.' At least the Thanksgiving break would be over soon, and Vanessa would be safely back at college. With any luck, that would be the last he would see or hear of Ferb Fletcher.

**A/N – I knew from the start that "Caller" would involve Ferb coming to Doof's place to pick up Vanessa for a date. (And to be clear, no, the "Hot Rod" is not Meap's Ride From Outer Space; it's Ferb's own, down-to-earth "self-restored set of wheels" referenced at the beginning of "Warming Up.")**


	11. 11: Hitting

**A/N – This takes place at the end of the evening that started in Chapter 10: Caller.**

Hitting

Ferb stepped aside and held the door for Vanessa as they entered the D. E. I. building and walked to the elevator. He considered tonight his first "real date" with her, and things had gone swimmingly. She had loved the French café he had suggested for dinner, and he had enjoyed the movie she had chosen. They had been chatting about their evening as he had driven her home, and now they had settled together into a comfortable silence as he prepared to escort her to her father's door.

Well, Ferb admitted, he wasn't feeling entirely comfortable. He was thinking about the anticipated good-night kiss, and was a little concerned that he would get her to the apartment door and start to make his move, only to have her father come bursting out with some Boyfriend-repel-inator in his hand. Not quite how Ferb was hoping to conclude the evening.

The elevator door closed, and Vanessa pressed the button for the Penthouse floor. The car began to rise skyward, and they exchanged a matched pair of suddenly bashful smiles.

"I had a great time tonight," said Vanessa.

"As did I," he replied. Pausing only briefly, he added, "I wish we could do this more often."

"Christmas break starts in just three weeks," she assured him. "I'll be back then for a nice, long visit."

Gazing into the indigo pools of her eyes, Ferb savored the moment. He was alone with the girl he had loved for so long as she looked up at him with a sweet and – dare he imagine it? – adoring expression. All at once, he knew exactly what to do.

"Are you claustrophobic?" he blurted.

The question clearly surprised her, but she answered, "No. I don't think so…"

The words were hardly out of her before Ferb was hitting the stop button on the control panel, and the elevator jolted to a halt. He turned toward Vanessa with a subtle curl of his lips. A shadow of confusion washed over her for an instant, then she realized his intentions, and an enchanting smile lit her lovely face.

Any uncertainty he felt as to the next step was swept aside as Vanessa advanced on him. As her body made contact with his, he instinctively snaked his arms around her waist and held her close. Her hands slid up his chest and across the breadth of his shoulders with a lazy, curious touch, then they crept behind his neck and drew him down to meet her lips. Ferb closed his eyes and sank into the kiss, relishing the intoxicating taste and scent of her. As his head began to spin, he staggered back against the wall, pulling her along. The soft, warm weight of her pressed into him, and he reached to cradle her head in his hand, his fingers tangling in her hair. He could feel her clutching at his biceps, testing his strength, and this provoked a soft growl in the back of his throat. Vanessa responded with a muffled murmur of satisfaction, then the long kiss began to break down into shorter ones, punctuated by quick gasps for air.

"Fer—" Her sweet voice struggled to form words. "F-Ferb—" A deeper breath, then, _"Ferbouche…_"

Blinking, he raised his head to look at her. Through a haze of bliss, he saw her smile, and heard her whisper, "You really are a genius." Her lips gave his one last caress as she reached out a trembling hand to start the elevator again.

Stepping apart, they shared a look of mutual delight as they went to work on composing themselves before they reached the top floor.

**A/N – Talk about serendipitous! After doing "Caller," I got inspired to write this kissing-in-the-elevator scene, and the last random word I had left was "hitting," and I thought, hey, yeah, I can use that, and… Here it is! Up to now, I've written most of the romantic stuff from Vanessa's point of view, so it was interesting to switch to Ferb this time.**

**Well, only one more to go. The 12th and final Vignette was actually one of the first ones I wrote, but I held it to the end because I thought it would be a sweet and fitting finale for this sequence of stories. You'll have to wait till tomorrow to see what it is…**


	12. 12: Plane

Plane

Ferb looked out the tiny window at the airport terminal, and all the other jetliners parked around it. He shifted in his seat a bit, and actually managed to give his legs a little stretch. Leaning toward Vanessa, he remarked, "Remind me to thank your mother again for the upgrade." Flying First-Class was going to make the trans-Atlantic journey much more bearable.

He'd been surprised at first that Vanessa had insisted on the aisle seat, but he soon realized why. This was the first time since they had left home that the plastic garment bag had been out of her possession. The flight attendant had helped her stow it in the closet at the front of the cabin, and the aisle seat allowed her to keep an eye on it. Ferb didn't blame her for being protective. The contents of the bag were forbidden to him, but Vanessa had dropped enough hints that he knew that the gown was in some manner "vintage," it was not white, and, most importantly, it was utterly and completely irreplaceable. He was a little surprised that she hadn't bought an extra seat for the bag so she could keep her hands on it the whole way.

Now, the cabin lights flickered, and there was a jerk as the plane backed away from the gate. As they turned to taxi out to the runway, Vanessa reached over and took Ferb's hand. She had never said anything about being a nervous flier, but he sensed a bit of anxiety as she squeezed his fingers. As the jet swung onto the runway, the sunlight came in the window and glinted off the antique emerald ring she wore. To think, in just a matter of days there would be a slim gold band nestled beside it. Now, their eyes met, and they shared a smile.

"Paris, here we come," said Vanessa, with just the slightest quiver in her voice. As the plane picked up speed, she asked him, "Well, Ferbouche, are you ready for an adventure?"

He lifted her fair hand to his lips and kissed it fervently before he answered: "The adventure of our lives."

**A/N – As soon as I had "Plane," I knew what this one was about. I've been cooking up ideas for a while as to when, how and where I'd like Ferb & Vanessa to get married. There may be a more detailed story about this down the road, but they are getting married at the top of the Eiffel Tower, with their immediate families on hand. (I don't know if that's logical, or even possible, but I couldn't resist.) This was actually the 6th one I wrote, but I held it till the end because it seemed like a nice finale to the series.**

**And yeah, the end is a reference to the episode, "Candace's Big Day." **

**This wraps up my first set of Random Word Drabbles! I had tremendous fun writing these, and really appreciate everyone who has read and reviewed. I may do another set of these someday, but for now, I've got some "bigger" stories to get back to.**


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